The Game of Masters
by stretch the faunlet
Summary: Based on The Hunger Games. One of the Five is chosen at random to compete in a battle to the death with some of the greatest masters in China. And the one who is chosen may not be as ready for the fight as he once thought. Mantis/Viper. Slight P/T. AU.
1. Let The Game Begin

**Game of Masters**

**Chapter 1**

"...Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One."

A gong rang out over the field, loud and clear, breaking the one minute of silence that the twenty-four of them had to mentally and physically prepare themselves with. A quick fifty seconds of silence was all they had before the ten second countdown began, before the actual gong rang out. The exact split second after, he jumped off his podium in the blink of an eye, quicker than the rest of them had.

_Let the Games begin._

The wise advice from his own Master rang out in his head, repeating constantly as he hopped forward faster than he ever had in his life. _Keep running forward; don't stop to fight, don't stop to pick up any weapons. You're strong enough. You don't need weapons. Just run straight for the trees and hide._ Mentally he took this into consideration, his eyes solely focused forward on the line of trees just on the edge of the clearing, which, luckily for him, was not that far ahead. _Everything is at stake,_ he reminded himself silently as he hopped forward. Everyone else went for the weapons that lay out in the middle of the field, lined up and waiting for them. But he didn't need weapons to survive. Just like his Master told him.

_You're strong enough. You don't need weapons._

He didn't dare look back. He knew looking back to see who was chasing after him would slow him down, but he completely forgot that, with his size advantage, he'd be hard to catch for even some of the highly visually-skilled masters that were right behind him, -and by the sounds of it-, already fighting each other. He could clearly hear screams and battle cries, sounds of blades slashing through the air and bones crack, which he knew were the sounds of necks being broken ever-so-easily. It was a smart move to keep moving forward, and Master Mantis mentally reminded himself to thank Master Shifu for his advice... if he made it out alive.

He was the first to enter the tree-line, heading away quickly from the blood-curdling screams of the somewhat weaker masters who weren't so fortunate to get away in time. The screams ebbed away, fading to nothing as he ran forward, trying hard to focus solely on his breathing, on his heart beat... not knowing if he'd ever hear it again by the next day, or even the next hour. By the sound of pure agony mixed with terror in the screams, Mantis could only imagine what the bloodshed taking place behind him looked like. He didn't need to see it; the sound of the screams was all he needed to know just how serious this Game was. Only one winner. Only one _survivor._

From the second he jumped off that podium, his heart raced with something other than fear, which surprised him. It was pure adrenaline pulsating through him as he ran, knowing he had survived the start of the actual Game, which were the bloodiest part of the whole event, the part where most, if not half of all the other twenty-three masters were killed.

Suddenly, in the distance, another scream broke out, before being cut off abruptly. It was faint, far off in another part of the forest, ricocheting off the trees and finding it's way to him to hear. It pushed him forward faster, harder, and was a reminder to Mantis of his personal relief. That scream could have belonged to one of his friends back home. Po, Crane, Monkey, Tigress or Viper... Only one of the six of them were picked for this event, and Mantis had been the one chosen at random. Thinking back to not even ten minuets before, when the other screams and cries erupted in a chorus of the unlucky first victims, just as the gong had sounded, he was relieved that he was there, instead of the people he cared for most. Though he obviously didn't want to die, he was willing to if that meant sparing five other important lives that could easily, in his mind, move on without him. Death hadn't been something Mantis ever feared in his early life, nor when growing up and maturing into the jokester he was well-known as. The bug who could never help but crack a joke... now fighting twenty-three of China's greatest Kung Fu masters in a fight to the death. No one would have guessed. But so far, he had survived the first and most brutal part of the whole event, and Mantis could not help but silently praise himself for that.

After thirty minutes of running as far as he could into the forest, he stopped to catch a breath, and to survey his surroundings carefully, to make sure he hadn't been followed. Panting, he rested against a large tree which luckily, in the scorching heat of that particular day, was offering much shade to hide him from the sun's merciless heat, and listened carefully. No twigs snapped and no sounds of footsteps approached from anywhere around him. All was eerily quiet, except for the soft wind blowing against the leaves and grass, making them move together to create a gentle sound of rustling. A sweet, peaceful melody; one that certainly did not fit with the dire status of his situation. If he were back home, Mantis would have maybe stayed to listen, but he knew he had to keep moving. As far out as he could... At least until nightfall. The further he was, the safer.

He continued to run further into the woods, trying to separate himself from wherever the other masters were. He had the upper hand, really, seeing as how he managed to just run straight forward rather than stopping to fight. Honestly, he didn't want to fight them. They were fellow masters, all having been thrown into this game for a sick form of entertainment for and by the emperor of the Imperial City, a corsac fox named Lord Jie. Was it punishment for some uprising gone wrong? Or just a sick game made out of boredom? Maybe now wasn't the best time for him to be wondering these endless questions, but one thing was for sure: This 'Game of Masters' was wrong. Murdering fellow masters was wrong. Murder was downright wrong.

But none of them had a choice.

It was all of their lives on the line, and already a majority of them lost their lives within the first ten minutes since the Game began. It was a miracle that Mantis even made it out of there without a single scratch on him. But he knew there'd be plenty more battles where that came from.

Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings, and Mantis immediately came to a halt, glancing up at the sky for the source of the sound. He could see a bird, a Chinese sparrow hawk by the looks of it, soaring overhead, watching him from above. Obviously there were more sparrow hawks overhead somewhere else, surveying for Lord Jie himself to see who was dead and who was left alive. Whatever possibility of escape Mantis might have been contemplating went right out the window. He could just keep running for miles and miles, thinking that maybe this arena couldn't go on forever. That he was small and could sneak past whatever guards might be on the other side of the wide woods. The arena couldn't go on forever, but with the sparrow hawks who worked for Lord Jie scattered about in the sky, following each one of them... Escape would have been pointless. And highly impossible.

Escape was never an option for Mantis to begin with. Running away from situations as such, was something only a coward would do. And though Mantis did not agree with any of this, seeing all the killings, in his eyes, as a cruel form of entertainment for Lord Jie, he was one of the Furious Five. Running away was not something a Kung Fu master like himself would do, even though his life was clearly on the line. Secretly he knew what would happen if one of the masters left alive decided to just keep running and never look back: Lord Jie could have the family, friends, marriage partner, fiancé, child, exc., immediately tortured and executed. They all knew this going into the arena. So, in a way, they were not only fighting for their lives, but also for the lives of everyone they love dearly back home.

And Mantis would not risk the lives of everyone he loved back home... He'd have to fight to the end, no matter how much he disagreed with the thought of killing other masters, other people. It was a game, and only one could come out the winner.

Breathing hard, Mantis simply stared up and watched as the sparrow hawk flew circles over him, keeping an eye on him. This all felt like a dream to him, the numbing thought that he might die in the next few days or weeks hadn't sunk in yet, until that moment when he simply stared at the sparrow hawk soaring around up above, hearing another scream burst out far off in the distance... Only a week before he was back home, with his friends; family to him. And only a week before, he had made the biggest decision of his life, not knowing that a week later, that exact moment, he'd be fighting to stay alive...

* * *

><p><em>"Yes."<em>

_He froze, unsure of what he had just heard. "Y-yes?"_

_Viper smiled at him, nodding once. "Yes." There were noticeable tears in her eyes when she answered once more._

_Mantis grinned, heart pumping with joy. She said yes, he realized. Yes! "You'll marry me?"_

_"Yes!" She giggled, wiping her eyes with her tail._

_"For real?"_

_Viper leaned in, pressing his lips against his. He was still stunned by her answer, but nonetheless closed his eyes and kissed back._

_They pulled away after a moment, Viper smiling coyly at him. "Does that answer your question?"_

_He nodded, smiling widely. "Very much so..." He composed himself after a moment, letting her answer sink in after the fourth time. "You said yes..." he said aloud. "You said yes!" Mantis turned and quickly headed back toward the palace. "She said yes!" he continued calling out, "She said yes!"_

_Viper only watched him go, chuckling to herself. She never thought he'd ask her, but he had. After a year together, he finally asked her to be his wife._

* * *

><p><em>'If you make one mistake, say one wrong thing, and even attempt to escape, I'll have everyone you love tortured and killed. I even have a special form of torture already planned for that fiancé of yours... Don't mess up now. Remember, it's not only your life on the line.'<em>

Mantis shivered at the cold words given to him by Lord Jie. He hated that sinking feeling of having someone threaten his family and fiancé and not being able to do anything about it. The only thing he could have done at the time those words were spoken to him, was glare coldly at Lord Jie. That was all he did. After that, he watched everything he said and did while at the Imperial Palace, taking the Lord Jie's threat seriously. He couldn't bare the thought of going home to find everyone slaughtered because of one false move made by him.

Instead of running forward, Mantis simply walked, trying to save his energy for whatever battle he may face in the upcoming hours or days ahead. He walked so that he could remember, to forget where he was, to take his mind off of everything about the sadistic emperor, the Game and even the threat.

He simply walked to remember...

* * *

><p><em>He happily hopped into the kitchen, seeing the curious faces of his friends, whom all sat around the kitchen table.<em>

_"Well?" Po asked, leaning forward. "What did she say?"_

_"Did she say yes?" Monkey asked, growing even more curious by the wide smile on his small friend's face._

_Mantis hopped onto the table, glancing at all the wide-eyed stares of his friends. Even Tigress seemed to be having trouble holding back the suspense she felt creeping up her spine. After all, Viper was her best friend. Her sister._

_"Come on, buddy!" Po groaned, leaning even closer. "We're all on pins-and-needles here! You're killing us!"_

_After a long, suspenseful moment, Mantis finally blurted out, "She said yes!"_

_There was an immediate chorus of collective cheers and 'hoots' from the other four._

_"Way to go buddy!" Po cheered, giving his friend a small high five._

_"Congratulations," Crane added in, smiling._

_"Congrats!" Monkey added, giving him his signature thumbs up._

_Even Tigress couldn't help the smile that came over her features at the news. She nodded at him. "Congratulations, Mantis."_

_"Thanks guys," Mantis replied, noticeably beaming. "It means a lot. Man, I feel like I'm on cloud nine!"_

_"I can't blame you there," Po agreed, nodding._

_"What does it feel like to be engaged?" asked Crane._

_"I... I don't know how to explain it, really," Mantis answered honestly. "I'm still in shock that she even said yes. I never thought she'd say yes. I don't know, maybe cause I don't have faith or whatever. But... I couldn't be more happy than now. I've never been this happy." He rubbed his cheeks with his pinchers. "My cheeks already hurt I've been smiling so much..."_

_His comment made everyone chuckle. "I'd be nervous to ever ask," Po admitted. "I totally agree with the whole 'she might not say yes' thing..."_

_Tigress turned to glare at Po. "What makes you think she might say no?" There was an emphasis on the word 'she', which suggested that Tigress meant herself._

_Realizing what he had said, and that his girlfriend was right there beside him when he said it, Po chuckled nervously. They had been together for only five months, and marriage hadn't been something they talked about fully yet... It was the wrong time to bring the subject up in front of not only Tigress, but in front of everyone. "Uhhh... I don't have faith either."_

_"In her or yourself?" She narrowed her eyes at him._

_"Uhhh... Myself? I guess, yeah." Po nodded at his own answer, lowering his head while giving an innocent whistle._

_Tigress rolled her eyes. "Men have no faith. Ever. Hopefully with Viper saying yes to Mantis' proposal, these three will suck it up and have some faith in themselves." She shot Po, Crane and Monkey a glare, causing them to shrink in their seats._

_"No comment," the three of them mumbled quietly, in unison._

_Mantis chuckled. "Well, I am now officially off the market." He paused. "Wait... I've always been off the market." When he met Tigress' unimpressed stare, he waved her off. "You know what I mean! Now that I'm engaged, I'm leaving a trail of heart broken gals in my wake. Oh well!"_

_"They snooze they lose," Po chimed in, giving Mantis another playful high five._

_I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world, he had thought at the time._

* * *

><p><em>Well, I used to be lucky...<em>

That had been one day prior to him being chosen for the Game of Masters. One day he was on top of the world, the next he felt his world crumble. Viper could very well be dead already. Maybe he had done something at the festival to enrage Lord Jie without even knowing. The twenty-four masters had to be in a festival honoring their sacrifice before entering the arena. They had to be polished clean and prepped up in fancy attire, meet and greet people they've never met, and had to be interviewed before a crowd of citizens, and before Lord Jie himself. Maybe at his interview he had said the wrong thing? He hated not knowing if his fiancé and his family were safe or already being held at the Imperial Palace as prisoners for one small mistake, one wrong move.

He'd only know once he made it out of there... If he could even survive through the night.

_You're small,_ he silently reminded himself as he moved forward. _You can easily hide in a tree somewhere, or in some brush. Find some food, make a shelter._ He could do that.

He kept on walking until he looked up and noticed the sky slowly turning dark. He had walked as far out as he could, with hours passing by without him even noticing. Night was going to fall soon, covering the woods in a blanket of darkness. He had to hurry and find shelter.

He stopped and surveyed his new surroundings. Surrounded by large trees that towered over him, with large brush around the bottom of the trees and grass that also towered over him, Mantis was confidant that he could make a small, simple shelter either in the trees or hidden under the brush.

When he glanced up at a certain tree that caught his eye, he noticed the sparrow hawk still circling in the air. Mantis sighed. _Looks like I won't be sleeping completely alone..._

As he turned his attention back to the tree, his heart sank with shame when he realized: _I can't climb that monstrosity of a tree! I'm not a magic jumper!_ He glanced around. _Great... If I can't hide up there... then I'll have to..._

He noticed the small brush resting beside the bottom of the tree. He mentally slapped himself. _Duh, I can just hide in there!_ He quickly hopped over to the brush, crawling inside. The tall weeds and grass towered over him completely, hiding him under their protective arms. From where he hid, he could barely see the sky. That's how much coverage and protection the small brush offered him.

He leaned against the tree from where he sat, slightly comforted with the fact that he was well hidden... At least for the night. He felt safe for the first time in days, seeing as how, ever since coming to the Imperial Palace, there'd been nothing but danger everywhere. A constant threat loomed over him and the other masters during their few-day stay at the Palace. One wrong move, your loved ones died. One wrong move in the arena, _you_ die. He had to mentally force himself to come up with plans as they came, and luckily he was a quick thinker, able to come up with strategies in a short amount of time. Maybe that factor, mixed with his size, his ability to hide and amazing strength and agility would keep him alive in the arena...

He could only hope so.

He drowned himself for hours in endless thoughts and 'what-if's, that once the sky caught his eye again, he noticed that the sparrow hawk was resting in the tree above him. The sun was down, the moon now in it's place. It would be night time at the Jade Palace too, and Mantis briefly wondered how Viper was holding up. How were they all holding up? Then he remembered: none of them knew this was a battle-to-the-death-type of Game. They all thought it was just a regular battle-to-win type of Game. That was what Mantis had thought at first too, before and a while after being picked as a contender. Until he was told the horrible truth. He didn't believe it at first when Shifu told him. Like everyone else, he thought it was just a simple battle to win honor for the Valley, for himself and for Shifu.

Boy, were they _dead_ wrong.

He wanted to get up and find some food, but really, his energy was spent, and he didn't feel very hungry to begin with. Feeling his eyes starting to grow heavy, Mantis began to pray to whatever deity existed. That deity, in his eyes and in the eyes of everyone he knew, especially to Shifu, was Master Oogway._ Please keep them safe,_ he begged silently._ I don't care if I die here, just don't let them suffer for whatever mistake I made. Don't punish them. Please... Let them be okay._

He never got an answer, except for a single blow from the chilly, night wind. A sign maybe? He was to exhausted to be sure.

Sleep tugged at his eyelids as, up above in the sky, a firework shot up into the air, exploding into bright colors. Then another, and another, and another... He almost lost count after the twelfth firework. After the thirteenth firework exploded in the night sky, decorating the darkness with small bits of color that faded to nothing as it fell back toward Earth, everything fell silent once more, and Mantis, even in his sleepy state, knew what that meant.

_There's eleven of us left,_ he mentally noted, his head drooping as the need to sleep grew. _Thirteen dead. Only eleven left alive..._

He fell asleep on the spot, vision shifting to total and complete darkness.

_"If I die, please tell Viper I love her!"_

_"I will."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I wrote this all today. I started it at 12:00 at night and finished it today. What a bad girl I am, staying up until midnight, considering I had testing today and yesterday. Yeah, that fucking California Exit Exam we have to take in order to graduate High School. But I HAD to write it immediately! Once I get a really great idea on how to start a story, I immediately write it how I envision it, because it only takes a few minuets for me to forget it all. XD**

**I wanted to do a KFP story based on The Hunger Games, for awhile now. I'll work on this story and "Guarding Forbidden Love" at the same time. Hell, I'm already working on chapter 3. This story basically starts off with Mantis in an arena for the first annual "Game of Masters". I guess, kinda like Panem in THG (slight spoiler), the Imperial City is ruled by a dictator (Lord Jie) of sorts. Like, if China were taken over without anyone even knowing it... Or if Lord Jie (an OC, obviously), snapped... And came up with the Game as a form of entertainment for himself and his men. And as a tactic to control everyone and strike fear into them. And hey, just FYI, I can make a fox like Lord Jie scary. If DreamWorks can make a peacock terrifying and menacing, then I can make a fox the same way. And no, Lord Jie will not be the villain in Guarding Forbidden Love. These are two separate AU stories.**

**Anyway, so yeah; the story starts out in the arena to save me time, and the flashbacks will tell the story of Mantis' time in the Imperial Palace and so on... Kinda like the Hunger Games, they had to dress up, be interviewed, and, as an added bonus, participate in a festival dedicated to their 'sacrifice' to fight. And kinda like with Haymitch, Shifu is Mantis' mentor in the Game.**

**Mantis and Viper had been together for a year when Mantis proposes to her, and Po and Tigress were together for five months. This is an AU story that takes place a few years after KFP 2. Just bare with me and it'll all make sense as the story continues!**

**Reason why I choose Mantis as the main character is because:**

**1. He's my favorite character.**

**And 2. There's not enough stories with Mantis as the main character! :( So I'm taking action by writing my own Mantis-centric stories. :) Taking ACTION! LOL**

**If you haven't read the Hunger Games yet... Don't worry, there's no spoilers in this story at all. XD None. It's kinda the same idea, but there's A LOT of differences. Such as there is no districts, and not a boy and girl or chosen from the same area. Only one master out of a group of master all taught under different Grandmasters, such as Shifu, are chosen to fight. Like, out of the Furious Five plus Po, Mantis was the one chosen at random. And there's other major differences that I'm to lazy to list at the moment. XD**

**It's AU. Remember: AU! Alternative Universe. A WHAT-IF STORY.**

**So please, no flames! Just review only if you like the story! :)**


	2. Never Underestimate Your Opponent

**The Game of Masters**

**Chapter 2**

_When the royal guards lead him to the small, cramped room and opened the door, his eyes met the small figure that was his student, silently perched on an edge of a window pane._

_The insect, though, was not facing the window to look out at the sun which was slowly rising over the Imperial City, or even just to watch the large and vibrant city itself, celebrating the arrivals of the other masters for the Game, but instead faced the door, with his eyes staring at the floor below him. Even when Master Shifu entered the room, Mantis did not raise his eyes from the wooden floor to acknowledge him, but instead kept them locked on the floor._

_When he noticed Mantis visibly shaking before him, Shifu felt that oh-so-familiar twinge of guilt strike his heart. He had chosen him from that bowl. His name. Though he didn't want any of his students chosen for this... event, he could not help the guilt he felt when he had told Mantis, -after he was chosen and were on their way to the Imperial Palace-, that only one person comes out of this Game... alive. The look of disbelief and horror that washed over Mantis' face after Shifu had spoken those words to him... That Mantis was being lead to his potential demise for the entertainment of the entire Imperial Palace... Being polished and decorated to look like something, like someone other than himself to be handed on a silver platter... It was an horrible feeling of regret that struck him hard._

_They stood in silence for an awful long time. Mantis unable to speak, and Shifu unable to figure out what exactly to say to him. This wasn't an exact type of situation where they could casually start speaking to one another as though nothing were wrong._

_Shifu cleared his throat and prepared to speak, able to say the only words that felt right to say aloud, "You're going to win this. You're stronger than they are."_

_"What makes you so sure?" Mantis muttered, raising his eyes up just a bit to see Shifu staring back at him, jaw open slightly from shock._

_He was truly taken back by Mantis' question. Usually Mantis was the most confident of all his other students, and Shifu found it rather odd that his most self-assured student was questioning his abilities. "I am your Master," he reminded Mantis, rather stern and serious in the way he spoke, "I know what you're able to do and what you're unable to do. And I know you are capable and able to survive than you give yourself credit for. You just have to concentrate once you're there."_

_Mantis scoffed, his empty stare at the floor turning into a glare. "It's kinda hard to concentrate on anything at the moment when everyone I care about has their lives on the line because of me."_

_Shifu opened his mouth to respond, but stopped himself. There's nothing we can do about that, Shifu silently reminded himself, staying silent. Instead, when Mantis glanced up at his master, his mentor in all this, his eyes told him the answer, and Mantis received the answer loud and clear._

_There's nothing we can do about that._

_Mantis lowered his eyes back to the floor. "I don't want to kill any of them..." he admitted quietly. By 'them', Shifu obviously knew Mantis was referring to the other masters that were going into the arena with him._

_The red panda sighed. "I know," Shifu answered honestly. "I know... Just... Try to make it out alive. For us. For Viper..."_

_At the mention of his fiancé's name, Mantis closed his eyes._

_"You are getting married after all."_

_Stunned, Mantis opened his eyes, glancing back up at Shifu. His proposal to Viper was literally a day before he was chosen to compete in the Game of Masters. The news hadn't even reached Shifu yet, or so he thought. "Y-you know?"_

_Shifu nodded, smiling sadly. "I overheard you two that night."_

_The insect glanced away. "I really want to live to see her coming down that aisle to be by my side, but..." he hesitated, before sighing, "...I don't want to kill anyone. I know it's a game and that only one comes out, but... I don't want to kill any of them. They're not evil, they're just... unlucky." He let out a sad chuckle. "Like me. Why do you think we're here in the first place?"_

_"You're not unlucky," Shifu reminded him sternly, "This is just a step back in your life. In their lives as well. Now I know you don't want to kill them, so don't. Only if you're confronted and forced to fight to save yourself, then do it. But once the Game begins, just keep running forward; don't stop to fight, don't stop to pick up any weapons. You're strong enough. You don't need weapons. Just run straight for the trees and hide."_

_There was a long moment of silence after he spoke those wise words of advice. Shifu studied Mantis' face, watching his expression to see if he were taking in his advice, word by word._

_Mantis seemed deep in thought, as though he were taking Shifu's advice to heart. It was advice that could very well keep him alive without shedding blood, and Shifu knew Mantis was obviously smart enough himself to take this advice seriously and run with it._

_After a moment of silence between them, Mantis finally nodded in response. "I will," he replied quietly, his voice barely above a whisper._

* * *

><p>It appeared that his student had remembered and followed his advice after all.<p>

Once the Games had started earlier that day, with all the other mentors forced to sit and wait inside the palace while their students fought to the death, it became a waiting game. Patience that he had before went right out the window, and all Shifu could do was sit and wait, anxious for night to fall so that he could hear if Mantis had survived the first night.

Night came after much waiting and stalking around, and, -after those thirteen fireworks went off in the dark night sky, signaling that thirteen masters were dead-, just as Lord Jie promised, the sparrow hawks, whom were called Watchers, that were in charge of watching the Game contenders while they ran into separate sections of the arena, the remaining some in groups of allies or alone, came back just as the moon rose up where the sun had been during the scorching heat of that day. The ones who came back were the Watchers of those who were unlucky, those who died during the first few minuets of the Game, or who died while trying to run and hide.

And once the Watchers came into the room where the other mentors were waiting, Shifu stood there and waited for one of those thirteen Watchers to come up to him and tell him the grim news he dreaded hearing. He kept a straight face and watched as the thirteen Watchers went up to specific thirteen grandmasters/Game mentors. There were silent words exchanged, and the other mentors would simply nod solemnly with blank, vacant expressions painted on their faces.

The other remaining eleven mentors, including Shifu, let out a collective sigh of relief. Now he knew that there was a huge chance of Mantis making it out alive completely. His student had made it the first night. He was still out there in those woods, beyond the large stone wall that blocked off the front of the arena where those podiums had stood right in front of before that gong had gone off... Before the bloodbath Shifu was sure had taken place in those few feet from the podium to the weapons that lined up a few feet ahead.

All he would have to do now, is continue to sit and wait for the next night to hear answers.

* * *

><p>The morning light of the sun breaking into full view from the early dawn shot beams of light through the cracks between the many weeds that sheltered him. Mantis was roused from his deep slumber by the familiar feel of the sunlight warming his face from high above. He blinked his eyes, momentarily forgetting where he was, until the sight of the weeds towering over him, along with the flashbacks that slammed into him all in one moment, caused him to jump up from his sleeping spot completely.<p>

Cautiously, he peered through the weeds to make sure no one was around his hiding area. His eyes darted around the small circle clearing that was surrounded by large trees, and, seeing no one around other than the Watcher in charge of him, -who was now up and ready as well, circling around his hiding area in the air-, he let out a small sigh of relief. His stomach began growling, and he knew he had to find some food for the time being.

He prepared to creep out from his hiding spot to see if he could find any food, when suddenly, a large foot, -he noticed in a split second-, slammed into the ground just feet in front of him.

Startled, Mantis scrambled back, pressing himself against the tree. Through the small spaces between the weeds, he could clearly see the silhouette of three other masters. Which ones they were, he wasn't sure.

"He should be around here somewhere!" he heard one say aloud, confused. A female's voice. Sweet in tone like silk, yet menacing in other ways unknown. "His watcher is up there!"

"Well, I don't see him!" Another voice, a male, gruff and cold, yelled back.

His antenna perked up at the sound of the unknown voices speaking. Arguing now by the sounds of it. Curious, Mantis slowly moved closer toward the wall of weeds, peering once more through the small spaces between each weed. Now he could clearly see three large animals, the dangerous masters who, no doubt, took a key part in the bloodbath when the Game began, judging by the dried blood covering each of their arms, with knives and swords tightly held within each of their hands.

The names of these three had struck him hard days before when he first arrived at the Imperial Palace, -seeing and watching but not necessarily meeting the other masters first hand-, and knew from just their appearance and size, that they were ones to keep an eye out for. The ones Mantis knew he'd have to fight in the end to stay alive.

There was a deceitful, female clouded leopard named Genji, who was handy with knives and had incredible stealth; a gorilla large and menacing in size, named Kuen, who, with his large, strong arms, could immediately crush who ever came his way with simply his bare hands; and finally, the sly grey wolf named Feng, with his glowing white, sharp-as-knives-teeth who he announced back at the palace to the audience at the festival were his 'favorite weapons' to tear people apart with, limb from limb.

Sure, they were masters trained by other fine grandmasters in all of China, known as _'mentors'_ specifically for the Game, but now, -from what he first saw of them at the Imperial Palace and now peering through those weeds-, they seemed to look more like cold-blooded, lethal killers than anything else. The title of _'Master'_ before their names didn't seem to fit them at all.

Mantis realized, still watching them silently, that it was Genji who spoke first and Kuen who responded. Who they were talking about, he already knew without even giving it a thought. It was _him_ they were talking about; they were looking for _him_. He peered closer at them from his hiding spot, watching them intently as they searched the area for him.

"He's the smallest one here," Feng spat out, glancing around, "He'll be the hardest one to find."

"Not for long," Genji chuckled menacingly. A second later, she froze. Mantis noticed one of her ears twitch, before suddenly, she spun around, throwing one of her knives into the tree where the weed bushes below concealed Mantis. The insect held his breath, glancing up to see, just a few feet above his head, the knife was perfectly lodged in the tree. He turned his attention back toward the three foes from his once-seemingly-safe hiding spot in those bushes.

He could clearly see Genji looking toward his hiding spot, her eyes narrowing. "He's here," she said, grinning darkly.

"Where?" Kuen asked, gruffly.

Genji motioned toward the small weed bush at the bottom of the tree, a few feet under the knife.

Smirking, Kuen went over to the bushes, his thundering footsteps pounding the dirt floor. With a swift motion, his knife slashed through the weeds, chopping them down. If the bug were there like he and Genji were sure he was, the knife would have passed through so quick, the bug would be split in half.

Or at least, he had hoped the bug would.

It took a minuet for Kuen to register the fact that the insect wasn't in the weeds at all. The bush was no longer there, all the weeds lying on the dirt floor in a heap. There was no bug in sight.

Growling, Kuen turned back toward Genji and Feng. "I thought you said he was here!"

Genji said nothing, but crossed her arms over her chest, glaring back at Kuen with her deceiving eyes.

Feng snorted at Genji, but said nothing. He continued throwing his knife around from hand to hand in boredom.

"I swear, when I find that bug, he'll be nothing but a smear in my hands once I'm done with him," Kuen announced aloud, glancing around one last time before he, Genji and Feng headed out from the area, all frustrated that their intended target was nowhere to be found.

From behind the tree, Mantis smirked to himself, hearing Kuen's thundering footsteps disappear along with the others.

_Never underestimate your opponent, Kuen,_ he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I saw the Hunger Games on Friday, and holy CRAP. FUCKING AMAZING! And though a lot of people complained about some stuff being left out of the movie, like Madge and such, I couldn't be happier with the film's outcome. Jennifer Lawrence deserves an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her portrayal as Katniss! I cried in every scene, especially one in particular.**

**Ohhhh man, I had fun... Anyway, with this story, I'm trying to have it be not like The Hunger Games, plot-wise. Like it's not going to exactly follow the exact scenes from the book, but my own version, my own words, my own story twist-take on The Hunger Games but only, it's NOT the Hunger Games, it's KFP.**

**So yeah. I am asking you: PLEASE review! I worked really hard and I really just want even just a simple review! Not a flame, obviously, but a review of what you think only IF YOU LIKE THE STORY. I'd really appreciate it!**


	3. Giving In

**The Game of Masters**

_Chapter 3_

The heat from the sun and the approaching dryness of his tongue kept him moving forward, one thought repeating over and over: _Find water, find water, find water._

Mantis regretted not having accepted that one glass of water a day earlier at the Palace, before being shipped off to the arena. Maybe if he had taken that glass of water, he wouldn't be so thirsty and exhausted trying to find a water source.

As well as the upcoming thirst, hunger was already taking a toll on his body, with aching hunger pains in his stomach that caused him to stumble a few times as he moved forward. Though the Imperial Palace had a vast variety of delectable foods,-endless trays and platters of every type of meal imaginable-, Mantis hadn't accepted any of the food they offered. He had eaten only a few pieces of fruit and some bean buns offered to him over those few days, but that was all. He didn't think he could stomach a large, extravagant meal without his nerves throwing it back up. His nerves, -the possibility of dying and Lord Jie's threat-, kept him from eating then, but now that he realized he had a chance of winning, hope rising inside of him, hunger and thirst gripped him and forced him to keep moving.

There was more than one way to die in this Game, and he clearly remembered what Lord Jie had warned him and the other contenders, about the endless possibilities of other ways of being killed, before they were sent to the arena.

* * *

><p><em>"It is not only your enemies that you have to keep an eye out for in the arena."<em>

_Out of the corner of his eye, Mantis noticed Kuen staring at him. He turned his head slightly and met cold eyes watching him with intent. Beside Kuen, Feng too gazed at Mantis, chuckling silently and baring his sharp, white teeth at him. Even Genji was giving him dirty looks. A warning for what was to come._

_Trying to ignore the three, Mantis turned his attention back toward Lord Jie, who stood before the twenty-four of them. But then another figure caught his eye. A small figure. He turned his head and noticed a young female mandarin rat snake just a few rows down, who didn't seem to be more than eleven or twelve years of age. He remembered seeing her before, her skin a light grey color with a single black and yellow diamond-shape pattern that traveled from her head down to the tip of her tail. The disgust he felt for Lord Jie grew when he wondered why the emperor was having a child, Kung Fu prodigy or not, battle to the death in a walled-in arena. A child. It made him sick._

_The snake noticed Mantis gazing at her with sad eyes. Without hesitation, she smiled at him. And unlike Kuen, Feng or Genji, who each gave him stares that clearly read 'we're going to kill you', the snake's smile and the look in her eyes said something about her innocence. A child. Her smile was genuine, but her eyes, too, were sad, as if to say, 'I'm sorry you're here too.' Even she knew the obvious theme of the Game. There was something about her that reminded him of Viper, but he couldn't pin-point what it was._

_He couldn't help himself when he flashed her a sad smile back. Battle or not, she was just a kid, and he didn't want to seem intimidating to her like the others. I'm sorry too, kid. He quickly turned his head back toward Lord Jie._

_"Some of you will die from hunger and dehydration. Others, from illnesses, or poison from eating the wrong plant." He grinned as he spoke, and Mantis couldn't hold back the glare that formed over his features. "So make sure you know the plant before you eat it. And if you do fight and survive, be warned: wound infections can be just as deadly as an enemies' sword." He gave a fake bow to the twenty-three solemn faces, and to that one sullen face. "Good luck, and may the better warrior win." Mantis briefly noticed Lord Jie's eyes flash over at Kuen momentarily when he spoke those last words._

_Silently, Lord Jie, surrounded by his loyal guards, left the room._

_'May the better warrior win.'_

* * *

><p>Could that one glance at Kuen from the emperor himself be a sign? Mantis wasn't sure when he thought hard about it. He spent a good portion of that last night at the Palace trying to figure it out, but came up short with only a strong suspicion. It probably only meant that Lord Jie was betting on Kuen as the winner. After all, the Game of Masters was a betting game. Royal subjects and regular civilians placed their bets on who they thought would make it to the top ten. Then, once the top ten was known for sure, it would be lowered to the top five. Then, the top two, until the lone winner was revealed by the end. Simple enough for them, though there was still eleven warriors left. The top ten would come up soon.<p>

Mantis hated knowing that people were betting on his life, but tried not to dwell on it to much. He figured they were being lied to by Lord Jie, that, perhaps, he left out one tiny fact about the harsh reality of this 'Game': Only one comes out.

_Alive._

Even if he did tell the citizens that twenty-three of the warriors were going to die, they might still have to pretend and bet anyway, since Lord Jie did rule over them with an iron fist and could have anyone who said otherwise about the Game be executed immediately. Either fear kept them from saying this was all wrong, or they just didn't know. Something told Mantis it might have been option 1.

And then there was the little snake girl. A Kung Fu child prodigy trained by her father. She seemed like a sweet kid, and though he didn't even know her personally, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he wondered if that tiny child were one of the thirteen dead from the bloodbath at the start of the Game. It hurt to think about, so he pushed the thought aside and moved on, pushing forward.

The rest of that scorching summer day was spent with Mantis making fruitless attempts to find water and food. There were no ponds near by, or any type of edible plants that he could at least snack on for the time being to satisfy his empty stomach. There was nothing. Just endless trees that seemed to go on for miles.

But then he spotted it.

Many hour had gone by, the sun already beginning to set, leaving the sky for darkness to take it's place. As he stumbled through a patch of tall grass between some trees, in the shade of the arriving night, he spotted it. Resting beside a tree was a berry bush. He had to pause momentarily and do a double-take to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from hunger or thirst. So he stared at it for a few seconds, until the sound of growling from his stomach brought him back to reality.

He ran over to the berry bush, impatiently plucking one from it's roots. His mouth almost watered from the sight of the berry, the thought of it's fruity tartness exploding in his mouth seemed to much for him to handle. But one thought, one reminder stopped Mantis from throwing the berry into his mouth completely:

_Make sure you know the plant before you eat it._

Lord Jie's warning. A bit defeated, Mantis stared at the black berry, watching it as though it could tell him if it were poisonous or not. His stomach growled again, impatient, wanting food. He gulped nervously, bringing the berry up again. _I'm pretty sure it's just a regular berry,_ he thought, staring at it. _What would be the odds of it being poisonous?_ They seemed familiar, so why not have a taste? Could one taste kill him? He'd have to find out. He didn't like the idea of gambling his own life to satisfy hunger, but he wasn't sure when he'd find food, or even taste food, again. _One taste can't hurt._

He prepared to give into temptation. But right when the berry touched his lips, a voice broke the silence barrier surrounding him, a voice that did not lie locked inside his head, but from right behind him:

"I wouldn't eat those if I were you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm getting quick ideas for this. I know I'm a horrible writer, I suck. It's quite obvious, but I attempted to try anyway. I love writing to much.**

**And let just tell you, a new character will be introduced, similar to a character from The Hunger Games, but they obviously won't be exactly alike. They're obviously going to be two different characters, but just similar in the fact they are important to the story in sense of: they'll grow important to the main character. Like a sibling or such. You'll know what I mean. And also, the pace of this story will go by quickly. Unlike the Hunger Games where only the Careers were trained prior, and the games went on for weeks, it'll go by quick in this story because they're all Masters who were trained in Kung Fu their whole lives. Some will be eager to jump into the fight. Much action will come soon, I promise.**

**I beg to all of you: PLEASE review! That's all I ask: Read and review. Tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it. :)**


	4. The Alliance

**The Game of Masters**

_Chapter 4_

_"I wouldn't eat tho_se_ if I were you."_

Startled, Mantis dropped the berry, but hesitated to turn to face the voice. It took him a minuet to realize that the voice was not threatening, nor rough or cold in tone. The voice was soft and quiet, belonging to that of a young child.

He slowly turned around, surprised when, upon turning, he didn't immediately notice her. She wasn't directly behind him, but when he glanced up, he saw that she was actually above him. In the tree a few feet behind him, was the young snake, her tail coiled around a flimsy tree branch while the rest of her body swayed back and forth. She stared at him with curious eyes. "You shouldn't eat those," she said, "They're poisonous."

"Oh..." he chuckled, rather embarrassed for having taken a risky move in front of her. He didn't want to seem like a complete moron, but he had been desperate. "Um, thanks for the warning."

She smiled at him. "You're welcome. My name's Yin, by the way. You're Master Mantis, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded a bit to himself. Yin. _So that's her name._ It fits her quite well, sense her name meant 'silver', and how, under the single yellow and black diamond pattern that trailed down from her head to her tail, was a striking silver color. "Nice to meet you... For the first time." Unable to really think of anything else to say, he added, "How'd you get up there?"

"I used to climb trees all the time when I was little," she replied, still swaying back and forth. "Couldn't find any food?"

"Yeah..." he responded, lowering his head in embarrassment. "It's pretty obvious, huh?"

Yin giggled, nodding. "Pretty much." She turned her head to the side, smiled, and turned back toward Mantis. "But not to fear-" she crawled back onto the branch completely, slithering into the leaves of the tree, before bringing back a large sack she held in her mouth. She tossed it over the branch, having it fall before Mantis in a heap. "-the food fairy is here!"

_Food?_ Mantis hopped over to the sack, picked it up and took a peak inside. Now his mouth really watered at the sight. An abundance of bean buns, radishes, edible nuts and berries laid inside the sack. Enough food to last for the majority of however long they'd be there, not only watching out for enemies, but simply trying not to starve or dehydrate.

He glanced up at Yin, who was slithering down the flimsy branch, her weight having the branch lower itself for her to the ground. Smiling, she slithered over to him, giggling when she noticed his goofy wide-eyed expression.

"Where'd you get all this food?" Mantis asked, staring at her in shock.

"When the Game started," she explained, "They didn't just have weapons lined up, but sacks of food too. It only had the bean buns and radishes, and I wanted to add to the pile, so I went out and found the nuts and berries on my own."

He was amazed that this young kid was able to find food for herself, able to take care of herself completely. She didn't seem frightened of the situation they were in at all. Either Yin was really confident and brave far beyond most her age, or she was just really good at hiding her emotions around others. "Wow. You're only a kid yet you managed to find your own food in only a day, while I only managed to find poisonous berries after almost two days of starvation." _Since I decided not to eat any of the food back at the Palace like a complete dumb ass,_ he added silently, not wanting her to know that fact for the sake of saving himself from even more humiliation.

She laughed. "It's just practice," she replied, "That's all."

"Practice?" He stared at her, confused and puzzled by what she meant. "How do you practice finding food?"

"Again, my dad," she sighed. "He taught me how to find food for myself in the woods when I was growing up. He always said, _'You never know when you're going to find yourself lost in the woods for days or even weeks, without your own food. You have to find your own food.'_ It defiantly came in handy, though."

"That's for sure." He felt comfortable enough around Yin to ask her a question that quickly formed in his mind, ready to be spoken. Prodigy or not, when he looked over at her and she smiled at him, he only saw the small child she really was. She was surely gifted enough to make it this far, and he didn't get any threatening vibes from her. Mantis glanced around in the approaching night darkness, before facing her completely, leaning closer. "Did you run into any of them?"

Now it was Yin's turn to stare at Mantis in confusion. "Run into who? Kuen?"

_So she knows who Kuen is._ He nodded. "Yeah, him. Turns out he's allies with Feng and Genji."

Her eyes widened. "He is? They're all allies? How do you know?"

"I ran into them this morning," he explained. "They were looking specifically for me. Because I'll be 'hard to find'."

"Cause of your..." She hesitated to ask, not sure if the obvious answer bothered him or not, but said it anyway, "...size?"

"Yeah..." he sighed. "It doesn't bother me, really. You know, the whole _'size'_ issue."

"There's nothing wrong with being small," she replied, giving him a soft smile. "I'm small, too. We're the smallest ones in this whole arena, but that's an advantage, because unlike Kuen and his big-headed posse, they'll never find us." She smirked. "Being small has an advantage, especially when you're underestimated."

_She has a point there_. Mantis couldn't help but a crack a smile. "I couldn't agree with you more." _Maybe if we teamed up, Kuen, Genji and Feng will be taken down easily,_ he wondered. Teaming up, helping one another, becoming allies was a difficult thing to keep a hold of if the finale two were that of the two allies, since both would obviously want to go home, and there was only room for one winner. And though Mantis wanted to win and go home and live to see his wedding day, he didn't want it to come down to him and his possible alley. But maybe he could come with a plan that could potentially have him and Yin go home to their families. He was small, and that did have an advantage in the plan that was slowly forming in his head if he wanted the both of them to survive this situation. And she seemed like a good alley, and he found himself wanting to protect her. He didn't want to see a small child killed by lethal killers who would literally tear her apart with their bare hands if they got a hold of her. He wanted her to go home too, back to her father and mother.

The simple question came pouring out of his mouth so quickly, that he blurted it out: "How would you like to be allies?"

* * *

><p>Yin had agreed.<p>

Night fall came completely now, once again covering China in a blanket of darkness. No fireworks lit up the sky that night, meaning the remaining eleven survived the second night. No deaths... for now.

Mantis found a well-hidden spot between some trees, under a thicket of bushes that would be hard for Kuen and his allies or any other contender to find. It was the closest to feeling safe that Mantis and Yin felt since being chosen. Despite the chilly night air, neither of them wanted to start a fire, not wanting to risk Kuen and his two deadly allies from seeing the smoke from wherever they were. The two newly-formed allies sat in the darkness, illuminated by moonlight as they ate some bean buns and radishes while sharing stories and just all-around chatting, even laughing a few times. Getting to know each other better. Mantis learned a few things about Yin that night: she was eleven, and the only child of her father, the famous Master Baojia and his wife; was a prodigy since age five, and grew up in a small village outside of a large, populated city where her father was especially well-known. He also found, while speaking to her for the past few hours, that Yin had a seemingly similar sense of humor that he had. It was a sarcastic, joke-cracking humor that he noticed between and after each of her sentences that was in the process of being comedy gold, but she had something about the way she politely offered to share him the rest of her food, asked with worry if he was still hungry or felt ill that reminded him so much of Viper. "You know, for a kid, you have a pretty good sense of humor. Who did you get it from?" he asked, nibbling on a bean bun.

"My dad," she said quickly, popping a berry into her mouth.

Mantis was pretty surprised at that answer. It wasn't everyday that he heard of someone who was trained in Kung Fu by their own father who happened to also have a sense of humor. Most Masters-turned fathers who trained their own kids were usually stern and strict, at least from what he heard. "Your dad? Really?"

"I know, its pretty shocking," she admitted, "But he is pretty cool. When he's training me, he's Master Baojia, but when we're home, he's simply dad."

"My mom was the same way," Mantis said. "Except for the _'Master'_ part. She's just mom." He chuckled, remembering his sweet, sarcastic mother who he hadn't seen in a few years. "Good old mom."

"What about your dad?" Yin asked, titling her head with curiosity.

_She doesn't know the mantis-circle-of-life._ "Uhh..." he hesitated to answer, "...Well... My mom, sort of... ate his head." He noticed Yin, in the moonlight, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wow..." she said quietly, lowering her eyes. "I'm... sorry about your dad."

"Yeah it sucks." He shrugged. "But what can you do? She ate his head before I was born, so it's not like I even knew him." _Shit happens._ "It's just the mantis-way of life."

"Only girl mantises eat heads, right?"

He nodded. "Right." He shuddered a bit. _Thank the Gods I'm not engaged to one. I'd have my head ripped off before the honeymoon!_

"You're not dating a girl mantis, are you?" She asked. "Because I saw your interview and heard you were engaged."

_She saw my interview?_ It seemed like everyone saw his interview, yet he saw no one else's interviews. Where the hell was he when the others were getting interviewed? Most likely he zoned out, worrying about other things, like what was to happen to him once he stepped foot in the arena, and the looming threat of the lives of everyone he cared about... It made it harder to concentrate.

* * *

><p><em>"If you need guidance, just look out into the audience and find me in the crowd. I'll be in the first row. When it's over, I'll be back here immediately waiting for you."<em>

_Mantis stared out at the large crowd, not facing Shifu while he spoke. He only nodded once. "Okay..." his voice was barely above a whisper, worrying about what he was going to say to the interviewer. "What do I say to him?"_

_"Just be yourself," Shifu replied. "The audience will love you if you just be yourself. Just answer the questions the interviewer asks you, and don't hold back. You're going to have to answer all his questions. And make sure you say the right thing."_

_'Or else Jie will have my family slaughtered,' Mantis thought grimly. He only nodded once more._

_The interviewer, a male gazelle dre_s__sed in a_ _silk robe_ _similar to tho_se worn by _Lord Jie,__ stood up from his chair on the large platform that was surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of Imperial City citizens, all wanting to hear what Mantis had to say about whatever question he was going to be asked. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next and final contender of the first annual Game of Masters; Master Mantis!"____

_Much to his surprise, as he stepped out from the shadows of backstage and walked over the platform toward the interviewer, the crowd erupted into roaring cheers and applause that he realized was aimed at him. They were cheering for him. Silently making his way on stage, his eyes locked with the crowd as they cheered for him, chanting his name over and over. Despite his nerves, he couldn't help but smile back at them, even just a little. He took pride in himself. He honestly didn't expect anyone to root for him, seeing as how there were Masters much bigger than him, but in reality, he was stronger than even Kuen. Then again, he was one of the Furious Five, and the Furious Five were well-known all across China and beloved greatly. It still took him off guard that their cheers and applause for him was louder in chorus than it had been for Kuen, who he was sure would be the best bet for everyone. But when you're small, you're hard to find, and he would surely hide well once in the arena. Maybe he was the best bet to win._

_Once the interviewer greeted Mantis and the crowd quieted down, they settled into their seats that were in plain sight in the middle of the stage for all of the Imperial City to see._

_"So, let's just jump straight into these questions that I know the crowd is dying to know." The interviewer cleared his throat and began, "What was your reaction when you were chosen to compete?"_

_'What a dumb question,' Mantis thought, holding back a snappy comeback. He wanted to say, 'Well, how am I supposed to feel knowing I'm probably being sent to my death?', but instead, he gazed out into the crowd in search of his Master. He glanced through the people in the first row and noticed Shifu on the far left end of the first row. Shifu locked eyes with Mantis from his spot, giving him a nod to answer. "I... was shocked after the fact. And..." he thought for a moment. 'What can I say that will get me on Jie's good side?' "...I was quite honored to be chosen for this special occasion." What an awful lie. How could he feel honored? He felt sick more than anything else. He glanced back at Shifu, who gave him another nod, this time of approval._

_"Well, I'm sure you are." The interviewer grinned at him, and Mantis couldn't help but think, 'You have no idea what's really going to happen.' "Now, is your name really Mantis, or is it just a nickname because of your species?"_

_'What a stupid question! Who hired this guy?' Mantis smiled though at him. "It's just Mantis," he lied, not wanting anyone else to know anything about him more than they already knew. His real name, his birth name, kept secret, for it was the only form of privacy he felt he had left. But it was also a past he was ashamed of, and mentioning his real name would bring the shame back. "My mom wasn't very good with names."_

_The crowd collectively chuckled at that. Mantis let out a breath, relieved that they bought his lie, and remembering Shifu's advice. 'Be yourself.'_

_Even the interviewer chuckled at that. "It sounds like it. Now, what about in the case of your fiancé? How did she react when you were chosen?"_

_Mantis' smile faded and his heart sank. 'They know about Viper? They know we're engaged?' He glanced at Shifu again, who grimly nodded._

_"What is she like?" The interview added, leaning over his seat toward Mantis, waiting for an answer._

_Mantis gulped nervously. 'I'm not telling anyone of you about her. I'm not putting her life in even more danger.' "My fiancé? Uh, well..." 'I don't have much of a choice.' "She's an amazing woman. Sweet, kind and caring, but she can kick my ass any day." Another laugh from the crowd._

_"She's sounds like a very lovely woman," the interviewer agreed, nodding once. "But go on with the details! When did you propose? When do you two plan to wed?"_

_'Ugh, I should have known you would ask.' Mantis kept his fake smile aimed at the interviewer. "I proposed the night before I was chosen. As for the wedding date, we're not even sure yet..."_

_"Well, when the date comes around, I'm sure our beloved Lord Jie would want you two to get married here." He turned toward the crowd. "Right folks?" The crowd went wild, chanting 'Yes, yes, yes!'_

_'Beloved Lord Jie? Yeah right! Guess again, dude, he's not even close to being beloved. You only say that because you're all scared of him!' He silenced the rant in his mind. "Maybe," he teased, though it was also an obvious lie. "We'll see!" 'Hell to the no!'_

_There was a collective groan of disappointment in the crowd. Even the interviewer seemed disappointed. "Well, it is entirely up to you and your fiancé."_

_'Why does this guy keep saying 'well' for?' the insect wondered. 'Guy needs to use other words instead of just 'well.'_

_Out of time, the interviewer decided to end the short interview there. "Best wishes to you and your fiancé," he replied, standing up. Mantis followed his lead, getting up, ready to leave, thankful that the interview was over. "Ladies and gentlemen, give a finale big round of applause for Master Mantis!" He grinned widely, the crowd up roaring with cheers, hoots and clapping as they watched Mantis quickly leave, going backstage._

_As the cheers died down once more, Mantis made it back to the privacy of the backstage, away from the questions that interfered with whatever privacy he felt he had left. There, Shifu was waiting for him as he had promised._

_"How'd I do?" Mantis asked, anticipating an answer of approval. That he was in the clear, that he hadn't said the wrong thing to further irritate Lord Jie_

_Shifu only nodded once, giving him a small smile. "You did well."_

* * *

><p>"What's your fiancé like?" Yin asked, bringing Mantis out of the memory of his interview a few days before.<p>

He didn't have to hesitate about giving her the real answer, about Viper and who Viper was as a person. Yin was the only person in the entire arena he could trust. And they weren't being watched, except for both of their Watchers, who were sleeping above them high up in a tree, sharing the same tree branch. "She's great," he replied. "Beautiful, loving, caring, but can kick major butt when needed. Especially mine."

That made Yin giggle. "What's her name?"

Mantis opened his mouth to answer, but Yin quickly cut him off, adding, "What's her _real_ name?"

Viper obviously had a real name instead of her species' name. Just like he had a different name instead of just _'Mantis'_. And he trusted her, so, after a moment of slight hesitation that he couldn't help, he answered her, "Her name is Lien-Hua."

"That's a lovely name," Yin said softly. "Do you love her?"

Mantis couldn't help the smile that came over his features at the memory of Viper, waiting for him back home. Oh how he wished to see her again, hopefully soon. "More than anything."

Yin noticed the way Mantis' eyes drastically changed at the mention of Lien-Hua, and couldn't help but smile. The light in his eyes. It was the same light that her father had in his eyes when her mother appeared. It was that of love. "What about you?" she asked curiously. "What's your _real_ name?"

_My real name? Oh jeez..._ He hadn't spoken his real name aloud in years. It was never used by anyone he knew, except for his mother, but he hadn't seen her in years. His heart felt heavy when he thought about his mother. If he was going to die in the coming weeks while in that arena, he wondered if his mother would ever know what happened to her only son, and he didn't know if his mother could handle that type of bad news.

But after a moment of holding back, from hesitating subconsciously for whatever reason that even he didn't know, he took a deep breath and said it, loud enough for Yin to hear, "My name is Li. My real name is Li."

Something changed in the air around him then, in that moment when he spoke his real name. Maybe it was facing a past filled with mistakes made by him that he wanted to forget, for reasons yet known to him. Li was just an arrogant and vain guy who underestimated his opponents, which almost cost him his life. Mantis was the guy who was, -after the near-death experience-, changed, who took in his strengths and weaknesses, working harder to improve his weaknesses and turning them into a skill he could use in battle. But in the end, Mantis was simply Li: the boy who changed his ways for the better. The warrior. And he never would have accomplished it without Viper's help and support.

"The name suits you," Yin said, breaking the silence. Yawning, she curled her body into a comfortable sleeping position. She smiled at the insect sitting beside her. "Goodnight, Li." Her eyes closed and she peacefully drifted off to sleep, comforted by the presence of her alley.

Mantis watched her as she slept, as she breathed softly, in and out, in and out. Undisturbed by the threats that loomed around the two of them. And he wondered if it was because she had someone now to watch her back, to help out. A child seeking guidance in what was their own personal Hell.

He grew tired from all the walking in the heat he had to accomplish in those past few days, grateful for his gracious little alley, who essentially saved his life by her act of kindness. By lending him her food, she helped him garner some strength back, but he knew he needed to find water for the both of them soon. Especially if the days continued to be scorching hot as they had been lately. That would be the plan for tomorrow.

He laid himself down on the ground beside Yin, getting himself into his regular sleeping position. He glanced over at the small sleeping form of Yin one last time, as his eyes grew heavy. "Goodnight, Yin," he whispered, as he too, drifted off to sleep.

And, unknowing to him, he slept much more peacefully for the first time in days. No longer alone in that personal Hell, in the silent isolation he faced there; the comforting presence of his new friend keeping his mind away from the nightmares of death and destruction. And though the fearless Mantis would never admit it... He was no longer scared.

Yin gave him hope in such a hopeless place.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm trying to have Mantis develop as a character by introducing Yin into the equation. Having Yin around as his small, trusted alley, his only friend in that whole arena, actually has Mantis, in this chapter, kinda confront his old self when he told her his real name. Because, his old self, from his past, was vain and arrogant, and that, in Secrets of The Furious Five, nearly got him killed when those crocodile bandits had him locked up for days. Again, I'm doing what the movies didn't really do for Mantis, which is building his character. :)**

**By the way, Mantis' real name, Li, in Chinese, means "strength". Cause, obviously, Mantis is well known for his strength. And Viper's real name, Lien-Hua means "lotus flower". Again, quite obvious why... XD and Yin's father, Master Baojia's name, in Chinese, means 'protector of the family'. That will make sense later on, I promise.**

**Please review! :D**


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